To Be Scared of the Color Red
by Silver Phantom13
Summary: If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll do you're homework.  If you don't give Santa a cookie, he'll eat you.


Characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. Rated T because Axel can't watch his language.

I guess this could be a sequel to _Turtle Phobia Riku_. For Old War's Flame.

* * *

><p>Two friends walked around the mall as people busily shuffled around them, carrying loaded bags with the latest trend to the dumbest knickknacks, in a hurry to buy late Christmas presents. Large snowflakes hanged from the ceiling in a neat row and red and green tassel was wrapped around all the rails from the second floor. Suddenly, the taller one of the two friends crumpled his bag of <em>America's Greatest Cookies<em> once the chocolate chip cookie was devoured,and threw it downstairs trying to aim for the star on top of the Christmas tree in the center of the mall. The smaller one glared and punched him on his arm.

"Axel you jerk! You're going to get us kicked out of the mall again!" They'd been kicked out of the mall three times and it was always because the taller one had problems behaving. Some _serious_ problems.

"It's called speaking to get someone's attention Roxy. Violence is never the answer." Needless to say, the crumpled paper missed its mark but it did hit some blonde chick that had been talking up a storm with her group of friends. The only reason they were here, was the same reason as everybody else in the mall; so that Roxas could buy a snow globe for his mom as a Christmas present….Not that anybody else was buying snow globes.

"Do they even sell snow globes? I thought those went out of style eons ago." Axel said following by Roxas's side with his hands in his jacket. The little blonde by his side scanned all the stores as they were passing by them then made a face at Axel.

"Yeah they still do like your dumb lava lamps." Roxas personally thought that that was a waste of money because they used large amount of electricity and for what? So that you could watch the wax take about an hour to rise from the bottom of the bottle then slowly form a shape so it just floated back down?

"Hey don't talk smack about my lamps! You're the one that gave me a mini lava lamp for my birthday!"

Yeah but that's because it was your birthday and I'm an awesome friend like that. Oh, there it is."

They made it to the Hallmark store and Roxas quickly went through the shelves searching for the snow globe he'd seen yesterday. Axel followed several paces behind not really paying attention to Roxas and stopped to read some Christmas cards.

"Yes! It's still here!" Roxas said excitedly as he took the globe off the shelve and turned the key on its side so that it started to chime the song Silent Night. The inside of the globe had the figures of Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus in the wooden crate and when he shook it, the sprinkles inside made it look like it was snowing. "Axel I found it! Axel!" Axel wasn't in the gift cards section anymore so he walked around till he finally spotted him.

Axel was by the store's entrance watching outside as women dressed as elves keep children in line while they waited to sit on Santa's lap. Roxas came up behind him and pulled on one of his red spikes after he was done buying the present. Axel hissed and took a quick swipe at Roxas but he had already stepped back. "What? Are you done?"

"What are you looking at you pervert? Checking the little kids out?" Roxas said grinning and Axel rolled his eyes.

"_No_, I'm watching how that poor sucker in the red suit has to deal with all those brats." He started to head towards one of the many exits of the mall but looked back at Roxas as he was headed towards Saint Nick. "Roxas lets go! I'm hungry and tired of walking around this place! What are you doing?"

"I want to get a picture of you sitting on Santa's lap." he said taking out his cell and Axel looked back at Santa.

"Why would I do that? I'd only make an ass of myself." But if it had been the Easter bunny or even the turkey for Thanksgiving, he would have done it. He'd never told Roxas but he was secretly afraid of Santa. He didn't know exactly why but he was and it irritated him. Roxas tapped the phone against his chest as he thought of something to use against him then smiled.

"Because I know you haven't gotten me a Christmas present yet and if you do this it'll make up for it." His grin widened when Axel frowned at him.

"What are you a stalker? There's still no way I'd sit on that guys lap though."

"Don't be such a baby and go do. I'll even go with you so that the both of us can sit on his lap; one on each knee!" He dragged the reluctant Axel with him towards the jolly man but Axel pulled his hand away and moved back. "Fine, I'll stand by Santa's-"

"I told you I didn't want to do it! Now let's go home before it gets any colder outside!" Axel practically screamed so that anybody nearby gave them ugly looks. He then left in a hurry and Roxas stayed there stunned a bit but then ran after him. The tall man avoided looking in Roxas's blue spheres when Roxas asked if he was okay and what had happened. He didn't answer Roxas but after Roxas kept staring at him even when they had made it to his red Nissan he sighed.

"I'm afraid of Santa. Always have been, always will be. Now will you stop staring? You're making me nervous." He unlocked the car with a click of his key finder and got in the driver's seat as Roxas got in the passenger seat putting his bag on the compartment between the seats.

"You're afraid of Santa Claus? For real? Since when? Why ? He's just some kids' fairy tale! Does this mean you'd be afraid of me too if I dressed up like Santa and started laughing all jolly?"

"Hells no. I'd never be afraid of a short stack like you." He turned the engine on and got in the long line of cars trying to get on the street.

" Are you going to leave any cookies out for Santa?"

"I never have before and I don't see why if Santa doesn't exist and I don't believe in that crap."

"But if you don't he'll get you instead."

"Huh?" Roxas looked at him seriously when he faced him.

"Why do you think kids leave cookies out for Santa? Because if they don't, he'll eat them instead. That's why he's so fat." Axel laughed as he drove on the main road towards his house to drop him off first.

"I'm scared of Santa but not of these stories you came up with."

"It's true! Your parents probably put the cookies out for you when you're already asleep. He only eats people younger than eighteen though so he can't eat your parents. And the reason those kids back in the mall seem so happy to see Santa is because Santa is always watching you." Some twenty minutes later they arrived outside his house and he got off with his gift. Before heading inside, he called back to Axel saying, "I'd close my chimney if I were you."

* * *

><p>At home snug in his sheets, Axel watched the late programs on TV not yet ready to catch his z's after the big Christmas party. The bright images that passed on the screen didn't interest him so he turned the box off and turned on his radio with the volume low. Some Christmas songs were still being played as he got up to look for his PSP throughout his messy room and didn't pay much attention to the radio.<p>

_O you better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling why, Santa Claus is coming to town. _

Axel stopped searching to look at his radio as it played the demonic song because that's how it sounded to him. Like something to scare little children…Or worse.

_He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for GOODNESS SAKE!_

"That's creepy." He decided he'd been up too long and now his mind needed to rest or else he would have strange dreams about the song. Unfortunately for him, fate didn't want to cooperate with him. Outside something tapped against his window and he felt his blood run cold. "This isn't happening to me. Stupid Roxas." Didn't Santa come in from the chimney? He'd gone ahead and left the embers in the fire place and even locked the dumb thing. Taking in a deep breath he went over to the window and threw open the curtains, letting out a relived breath when he saw it was just a stick that was stuck between the window and the iron bars outside. Axel opened the window with some effort since it was an old frame and stuck his hand out to dislodge the stick. Suddenly a black gloved hand took a hold of his wrist and he followed the hand up the red sleeve to the thick white beard and wrinkled face. A small whimper escaped from his lips and he shook so badly that even his teeth chattered.

"Make your parents leave me cookies do you? You've been naughty Axel; throwing the crumbled paper at the Christmas tree." Santa said in a deep voice and Axel yelled as ripped his hand free from Santa.

Santa wasn't actually Santa. Roxas removed the plastic mask off his face and rubbed his gloved hand over his face because the mask felt disgusting over his face but it was worth it. He could hear Axel run from his room into the hallway and then some light shone out of his parent's room when he'd gone in there. He couldn't see because the blinds were closed but he could her the argument.

"Where are the cookies Mom! He's going to eat me!"

"Axel what is wrong with you! What cookies? Go back to sleep!" Roxas could hear Axel's dad say that angry. Axel explained the whole situation so loudly that the neighbor's dog woke and started barking and soon the other dogs on the block started barking as well. People came out of their houses to quiet their pets and Roxas moved into the shadows.

With the deed done, Roxas sneaked off into the night and wondered if he should do this again next year as well, that is if Axel didn't beat the crap out of him once he found out who Santa was.

* * *

><p>Eh, think I could have ended it better. Edited many times so I hope there's not that many mistakes.<p>

Did you know the mind never rests even when you sleep?


End file.
